Baptistic Theologies, 2009

charest and spread to other cities also. These happenings became noticed by some priests and they enquired about the legitimacy of the message proclaimed. Popescu was judged by a high forum of the Orthodox Church and was excommunicated on 16 th January 1924. The reasons of his excommunication seem to be obscure judging by the official declaration of the important Romanian priest and literature writer, Gala Galaction: ‘Teodor Popescu was a...good preacher, devoted soul pastor, friend of the mourners and the poor. (...) Then why was he excommunicated from the Church? Read his sermon book Jesus calls you. There he never mentions the Orthodox Church.. Despite his excommunication, Popescu continued his ministry. Today the movement started by him and by Dumitru Cornilescu is legally recognised by the State under the name of the Romanian Evangelical Church. They do not have any direct links abroad. They number about 20,000 people. 19 Their doctrine is similar to that of the Reformed Church. They believe in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ but accept the baptism of babies.” Popescu visited Bicaz in person. He met the Baptist missionary and they preached in tandem three times. The events will be analysed in the next section of this paper. Thus it can be stated that the awakening in Bicazu Ardelean did not happen in a vacuum. It was influenced by the bigger political and religious situation in Europe and Romania at that time. This specific context offered the channel for the propagation of ideas. The activity of the British and Foreign Bible Society offered an opportunity for people to meditate upon the Gospel message of salvation, and the evangelical movements offered options concerning the message the people understood from the Bible. But 15 John R. W. Stott, Epistola lui Pavel catre Romani (Cluj Napoca: Logos, 2000, translated), pp. 14-18, connects his experience with that of Augustine, Luther, John Wesley and Karl Barth who were directly influenced and transformed by the message of the Bible. 16 Dumitru Cornilescu, Cum m-am intors la Dumnezeu (Bucuresti: Biserica Evanghelica Romana, 1998), pp. 7-13. 17 Ibid., pp. 13-18. 18 Gala Galaction cited by Horia Azimioara, Din viata si lucrarea lui Teodor Popescu (Editura Emmanuel, 1988) p. 54. 19 Ministerul Culturii si Cultelor, Viata Religioasa din Romania, p. 80. 20 Ibid., p. 79. 44 Baptistic Theologies the awakening would never have happened if there had not been an influential leader and people with specific behavioural traits. These elements will be considered. 2. The activity of Gavril Dunca in Bicazu Ardelean A movement with impact upon people’s lives is often influenced by leaders. For Bicazu Ardelean this leader was the Baptist missionary Gavril Dunca. The presentation of his activity in the area will try to discover those features in his missionary strategy that made him so influential. But a leader with no authentic transformation